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Forms: Analysis Model View

An Analysis Model View shows a picture of an Analysis Model, or part of an Analysis Model.

Analysis Model Views can include Datasources, Database Collector, File Collector, Streams, Alarm Generators, Database Exporters, File Exporters and FTP Sites.

Models can be saved, or built on request.

Note that all objects that appear on Analysis Models have a context menu entry "Show Models" which will display a list of all the models that contain that object.

Form: Analysis Model Details

The Analysis Model Details appears when you press Image Removed from the list of Analysis Models, to create a new Analysis Model. These details can also be requested for an existing model from the Analysis Model View pane - see below.

FieldDescription
Name Name of the model.
Owner User that owns the model.
Public If ticked, all users can view and edit the model. If not ticked, only the owner can view or edit the model.
Description Description of the model.

Form Icons

The form provides the standard form icons.

Form: Analysis Model View Pane

Models on request

Analysis Model Views can be created on request from any of the elements that can be shown in a model pane. For example, if you want to create an Analysis model view for a Stream, open the list of Streams, select the Stream, right click and select Show Model Predecessors. A new Analysis Model View pane will be generated with the Stream selected, and all its predecessors - that is, the Collectors, Streams, Alarm Generators and Exporters that must be run to generate this stream.

Drag on existing objects

You can drag objects that have already been created onto an Analysis Model View pane. For example, if you want to include a Stream, open the list of Streams, select the Stream and drag it onto the pane. Similarly, objects can be added from the list of Datasources, File Collectors, Database Collectors, Alarm Generators, File Exporters, Database Exporters and FTP Sites.

When you drag an object onto an Analysis Model View in this way, if this it linked (via one or more pipes) to other objects on the view, PhixFlow will draw in the links.

Form Icons

The form provides the standard form icons as well as the following:

This page is for data modellers who are new to using PhixFlow. It provides an introduction to using the modelling window.

Opening a Model Window

PhixFlow opens a model window when you:

  • add a new model.  In the repository, right-click on Analysis Models and select 
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    _add
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    nopaneltrue
    .
  • display an existing model. In the repository, double-click on an analysis model's name to open its properties. In the properties toolbar, click the 
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    _model_display
    _model_display
    nopaneltrue
     button to display its model window in the workspace.

The model window shows a picture of either all or part of an analysis model.

Model Properties

In addition to the Common Properties, analysis models have a Name; see Analysis Model. They do not have any other properties, as all their content is in the model itself.

Modelling Objects

The toolbar at the top of a model window includes icons for the different objects that you can add to the model. The types of modelling object are:

Drag an object from the toolbar into the model to add new object of this type. For information about the object icons, see Modelling Window Toolbar Icons, below.

You can also drag in existing modelling objects from the repository. For example, to add an existing stream:

  1. Open the repository → Streams branch and find the stream.
  2. Drag the stream into the model.

Objects in models must be connected by pipes. Hover your mouse pointer over an object to display the popup toolbar and add a 

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_pipe
_pipe
nopaneltrue
 to connect two objects.

Usually you add modelling objects that belong to the same application. However, PhixFlow can share modelling objects between applications. When you drag in a modelling object from a different application, PhixFlow adds a small application icon to the top left of the object's icon.

When you make changes to a model, remember to save your changes by clicking the 

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_save
_save
nopaneltrue
 button in the model window toolbar. 

Model Window Toolbar Icons

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The default mode for the cursor in the model

pane

window is select. Pressing this button sets the mode to drag. Alternatively, while in select mode, keep the Ctrl key pressed on your keyboard, and with the left mouse button pressed move the pointer.

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If you are in drag mode, pressing this button puts you back into select mode (the default mode when you open a new

Analysis Model View pane

model window). While in select mode, keeping the left mouse button pressed and dragging over an area of the

pane

window, you can select several items in the model. Press the Alt key on your keyboard to include Pipes in the selection.

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Organise selected objects in a grid.

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Align all selected objects left.

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Align all selected objects right.

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Align all selected objects to top.

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Align all selected objects to bottom.

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Distribute all selected objects horizontally.

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Distribute all selected objects vertically.

Object Types

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Add a new Datasource to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new FTP Site to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new
Database Collector
HTTP Datasource to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new

File

Database Collector to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new

Database Exporter

File Collector to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new
File Exporter
HTTP Collector to the Analysis Model.
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Add a new

Stream with function Aggregate

Database Exporter to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new

Stream with function Calculate

File Exporter to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new
Stream with function Calculate By Set
HTTP Exporter to the Analysis Model.
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Add a new Stream with function

Cartesian

Aggregate to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new Stream with function

Merge

Calculate to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new

Alarm Generator

Stream with function Calculate By Set to the Analysis Model.

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Add a new

Pipe

Stream with function Cartesian to the Analysis Model.

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By pressing this you get a slider which allows you to zoom out from the Analysis Model View pane. This is useful if you have a complex model and want to get a high-level overview

Add a new Stream with function Merge to the Analysis Model.

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Open the Analysis Model View details.

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Make a copy of the model and all its contents

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Export a copy of the model and all of its contents to an XML file so that it can be imported into another system (or saved as a backup)

Hover Menu

...

Show model details

Modelling Object Pop-up Toolbar

In the model, hover your mouse pointer over any object to display a pop-up toolbar. The pop-up toolbar some of the same buttons that appear in the menu bar, described above. It also provides the following buttons:

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Make this object static.

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Disable/ enable this object.
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Bring up a list of attributes for the object. Attributes can be selected from this list and dragged into an attribute list window for another object, so this is useful when building new objects in the model.

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Show the list of views configured on this object.

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Show the list of Stream Sets for this object. This brings up the Stream Set

viewer.Image RemovedShow the list of Alarms that relate to this object. This brings up the Alarm

viewer.

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Bring into the

pane

model all objects in the model that are inputs to this object.

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Bring into the

pane

model all objects in the model that are outputs of this object.

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Run the

Analysis Engine

analysis process on this object. All objects required to build the object selected will be run, but only these objects

; so this may run Analysis

. This means PhixFlow may:

  • run analysis on objects that are not in the
pane, and Analysis may not be run
  • model
  • not run analysis on some of the objects that are in the
pane
  • model.

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Remove

Erase this object from the

Analysis Model View pane

model. This

does not delete the object from the underlying model in PhixFlow.

object still exists in the repository, and it's data is available to any other object that refers to it.

Modelling Object Context Menu

If you right Right-click on any object in the Analysis Model View pane a context menu will appear. Many of the options available are the same as those available from the menu bar or a hover menu, as described above. A few a modelling object to display its context menu. This includes many of the same options as in the menu bar or the pop-up toolbar. Some addition options are also available:

...

Context Menu OptionDescription
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_object_copy
_object_copy
nopaneltrue
Create a copy of the object.
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_object

...

_add_input_stream
_object_add_input_stream
nopaneltrue
Add a new stream with a pipe that connects into the selected object.
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_object_predecessors
_object_predecessors
nopaneltrue
Add all objects that are used to build this object in the underlying model

...

.
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_object_successors
_object_successors
nopaneltrue
Add all objects that use this object in the underlying model

...

.

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_stream_rollback
_stream_rollback
nopaneltrue
 Stream

Rollback data in the stream. This opens the Rollback form.

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_delete
_delete
nopaneltrue

Permanently delete the object from the underlying model in PhixFlow. This removes the object from PhixFlow completely

...

.

Only do this if you are certain that you never want to use this object again.

Model

...

Window Context Menu

If you right Right-click anywhere on the modelling pane a the model window to display the context menu will appear. :

  • Rollback Selected Objects: Rollback the data in the currently selected Streams and Alarm Generators.
  • Copy Selected Objects: Create copies of the currently selected objects. Export Selected Objects: Export copies of the currently selected objects.
  • Delete Selected Objects: Delete selected objects.
  • Enable Selected Objects: Enable selected objects.
  • Disable Selected Objects: Disable selected objects.
  • Switch The Static Flag On In The Selected Objects: Switch the 'static' flag on in the currently selected Streams and Pipes.
  • Switch The Static Flag Off In The Selected Objects: Switch the 'static' flag off in the currently selected Streams and Pipes

Moving a Model Window

As models get bigger, you may find that model window only shows part of the model.

...

If part of the model is off-screen, PhixFlow will display arrows:

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Use the arrows to move the model window to show different parts of the model. Alternatively, you can drag the model around in the model window.

Keyboard support

If you are in select mode Image Added, there are keyboard commands available:

  • Ctrl: Switch
    • either switch to drag mode (move the pointer with the left mouse button pressed)
    / Select
    • or select multiple items (click left mouse button on items).
  • Alt: Include pipes in selection.

See Also